The government of the United Kingdom has announced new proposals to guarantee that the UK's world-class higher education sector is utilized for education rather than as a point of entry for immigration; however, more proposals are still being researched.

The UK is planning stricter compliance requirements for educational institutions that hire international students.

This is expected to keep the UK at the top of the global higher education rankings and draw in the most talented and motivated international students whilst also fulfilling the promise of reducing overall migration levels.

The measures would govern the recruitment of international students and take action against dishonest recruiting agencies that push applicants to apply to British colleges by requiring institutions to abide by a strict framework for agents.

The UK announced via its website, that there will be stricter compliance requirements put in place for educational institutions that hire international students.

“Those who accept international students who then fail to pass our visa checks, enrol or complete their courses, will risk losing their sponsor licence.”

Furthermore, there will be increased financial maintenance requirements, meaning that overseas students will need to demonstrate their financial independence.

In order to standardize independent evaluations and guarantee that all overseas students have the language abilities necessary to comprehend their course content, the government is currently evaluating English language tests. This means that applicants who do not meet this requirement will not be admitted to a UK institution.

Home Secretary, James Cleverly, said: “But we must go further to make sure our immigration routes aren’t abused. That’s why we are cracking down on rogue international agents and, building on work across government, to ensure international students are coming here to study, not work."

Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, said: “It is right that we strike the balance between controlling immigration and making sure the UK remains the ‘go to’ place for students around the world, supporting our brilliant universities and enabling the best and brightest to study here.”

Some changes required

According to reports, the following measures are already in force to reduce migration into the country: 

1. Restricting the ability of care providers to act as sponsors for other people and forcing them to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the industry regulator, in order to combat worker exploitation and abuse in the field.

2. Replacing the shortage occupation list with a new immigration salary list to eliminate the ability for employers to underpay foreign workers in shortage occupations.

3. Increasing the minimum income requirement for the family visa to meet the current £38,700 threshold for the skilled worker visa by early 2025.

4. Raising the salary requirement to £38,700, a 48% increase, for skilled worker visas.